Conductive resilient graphene aerogel via magnesiothermic reduction of graphene oxide assemblies

Graphene aerogels are desirable for energy storage and conversion, as catalysis supports, and as adsorbents for environmental remediation. To produce graphene aerogels with low density, while maintaining high electrical conductivity and strong mechanic performance, we synthesized graphene aerogels by the magnesiothermic reduction of a freeze-dried graphene oxide (GO) self-assembly and subsequent etching of the formed MgO in acid solution. The reduced graphene oxide (rGO) aerogel samples exhibited densities as low as 1.1 mg center dot cm(-3). The rGO aerogel was very resilient, exhibiting full recoveryeven after being compressed by strains of up to 80%; its elastic modulus (E) scaled with density (rho) as E similar to rho(2). The rGO aerogels also exhibited high conductivities (e.g., 27.7 S center dot m(-1) at 3.6 mg center dot cm(-3)) and outperformed many rGO aerogels fabricated by other reduction processes. Such outstanding properties were ascribed to the microstructures inherited from the freeze-dried GO self-assembly and the magnesiothermic reduction process.